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I was very sad to hear of the destruction of the Old Man of the Mountain. I grew up in New England and spent many happy days in the White Mountains. The loss of the Great Stone Face is not just a loss to the Granite State, but to our whole country as well. It was one of our national treasures, a natural wonder to behold. To me, the Old Man will always symbolize the great state of New Hampshire.
Mrs. Carole Leonard, Charleston, South Carolina
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NH State Parks Archives Photo
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We first visited The Old Man in 1969. Our last visit was during the fall of 2001 when we took an exchange student from Belgium that had spent a school year with us on a tour of northern New Hampshire. We can't remember how many pictures that girl took of the Old Man. We had told her about him but she didn't believe it until she saw it! We are sure the Old Man was one of her greatest memories of her stay in the USA along with her visit to the state of New Hampshire, and our family will always remember the Old Man.
The Deering Family, Raymond, Maine
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This area was one of the most beautiful I saw on my trip to New England back around 1985. We stood at the waterside and viewed/photographed it on one of our many stops. It is so hard to believe that one of our favorite natural treasures is gone. I am so glad I phototographed this Old Man and will always treasure it on paper and in the best cameras of all, my mind and heart. Goodbye old friend. Thanks for the memories.
Pam Taylor, Dallas, Texas
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I was very saddened to hear of the collapse of the Old Man of the Mountain, the news brought tears to my eyes and a feeling of loss in my heart. He resembled my own father's profile, who passed away a few years ago so I had a fond attachment to the rough yet gentle presence those old boulders emulated.
I first visited the Franconia area 32 years ago while on vacation with my parents when I was 12. We live in southeast Pennsylvania and were so impressed with the White Mountains, having the Pocono Mountains to compare them to - the mountains in NH were just spectacular, especially the Old Man. I then had to return to see the Old Man again in 1993 - now bringing my first two children to vacation there - one of our fondest memories of the trip was our bike ride along the route that takes you right up to Profile Lake to view the Old Man - the kids thought he was so cool!
We just returned again last August with my 3rd daughter who was born in 1995 (since she obviously was born after our trip in 93, I wanted to take her now to the Franconia area) - she was 7 years old last summer, just old enough to make the same bike trip along the Old Man route - she thought he was just "awesome." We actually went to Profile Lake twice that week, and the woman at the souvenir shop remembered her from the first visit since she was non-stop talking about the Old Man while she was getting her ice cream cone at the counter.
She was also upset when we had heard of the collapse and had hoped that he could be fixed. Since I was pregnant last summer with my 4th child, we planned to return yet again in a few years with the latest edition to our family. We will definitely be back again to Franconia - but it just won't be the same without the Old Man of the Mountain.
With my deepest sympathy to those who held the Old Man close to their heart,
Diane Mohan, Bensalem, PA
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